London-based animator Caitlin McCarthy usually works in commercials, but she loves to make her own stuff too – “mostly to remind people I’m a horrible girl deep down,” she says. Her animations, admittedly, are pretty gross. Centring women partaking in the eating of bugs whilst lying on the kitchen floor (who hasn’t done this?) and mini-dentists who live within the mouth, chipping away at the tartar in a gallery of teeth. It’s bubblegum body-horror, always glowing ethereally whilst touching on the inherent strangeness of our bodies. But, Caitlin’s newest works expand into the small, mundane horror stories of everyday living, such as female-focused cosmetics and grief. In one animation, a dejected bride gobbles cake and chain-smokes in a bath of misery. And in her newest short flick Full Set, a woman progressively cooks her arm whilst trying to get the perfect nails.
“This film actually came about out of frustration at myself for not making more personal work in the past few years. I think I’ve seen so many great animated shorts that I got completely paralysed by nerves and decided to channel most of my creative energy into getting really good at doing my own nails instead,” says Caitlin. “Obviously, that has grown into resentment for the process of doing them so it felt like a good topic to make something nasty about. Sort of punishing myself for getting waylaid.”